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Earth
Description Mostly harmless Oops! It seems like you found the article about Earth we expunged recently. We recommend the shorter and much more accurate article written above. Read at your own peril, as this much longer and boring version of the article is full of useless information about an utterly insignificant little blue green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea. Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets. It is sometimes referred to as the World, the Blue Planet, or by its Latin name, Terra. Its astronomical symbols are ⊕ and ♁This article was adapted from Space Engine's ingame wiki. Earth formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within one billion years. The planet is home to millions of species, including humans. Earth's biosphere has significantly altered the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of aerobic organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer which, together with Earth's magnetic field, blocks harmful solar radiation, permitting life on land. The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, have allowed life to persist during this period. Estimates on how much longer the planet will to be able to continue to support life range from a mere 500 million years, to as long as 2.3 billion years. Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered by salt water oceans, with the remainder consisting of continents and islands which together have many lakes and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere. Earth's poles are mostly covered with solid ice (Antarctic ice sheet) or sea ice (Arctic ice cap). The planet's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core. Earth interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once every 366.26 times it rotates about its own axis, which is equal to 365.26 solar days, or one sidereal year. The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4° away from the perpendicular of its orbital plane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days). Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt, and gradually slows the planet's rotation. Between approximately 3.8 billion and 4.1 billion years ago, numerous asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the greater surface environment. Earth-000.jpg|Artificial illumination: the peculiar feature of planets inhabited by technlogically advanced civilizations Earth-001.jpg|View of the African continent Earth-002.jpg|View of North America Earth-003.jpg|View of South America Earth-004.jpg|View of the Arctic region Earth-005.jpg|The Pacific Ocean Earth-006.jpg|The Atlantic Ocean Earth-007.jpg|View of the European continent Earth-008.jpg|Close-up of South America Earth-009.jpg|The Indian subcontinent and the Arabian peninsula by night Earth-010.jpg|Close-up of North America, with the East Coast beyond the terminator Earth-011.jpg|The Australian continent Earth-012.jpg|Southeast Asia, covered by thick clouds Earth-013.jpg|Close-up of the Arabian Peninsula Earth-014.jpg|The easternmost part of Asia and the Pacific Ocean Earth-015.jpg|Close-up of central and southern Africa Earth-016.jpg|The Indian Ocean Earth-017.jpg|Aurora above the Arctic Circle Earth-018.jpg|Close-up of the region around Mediterranean Sea Earth-019.jpg|Close-up of North America Earth-020.jpg|Earth seen from the Moon's orbit Category:Terrae Category:Objects Category:Real objects